Saving Seafood

Nutrition for Today: Wild-caught seafood not necessarily better than farm-raised

August 6, 2024 — There’s no question that fish and seafood are good for us.  Diets rich in seafood are consistently linked to lower risk of heart disease. For many years the American Heart Association has recommended that we eat at least two servings per week, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans echo that same advice.

Seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which not only promote cardiovascular health, but help reduce inflammation in the body and help strengthen the immune system. Children born to mothers who consume seafood during their pregnancies have been shown to have better neurocognitive function.

The richest sources of omega-3s are fatty or oily fish, which include salmon, sardines, and mackerel. All fish contain these healthy fats, but the fattier fish contain more.

Read the full article at Florida Today 

WHAT YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT SALMON FROM ITS PACKAGING

July 24, 2024 — If you’ve ever shopped for salmon, you’ve probably found yourself wavering between a jumble of options. But a scan of the packages — typically emblazoned with various claims about sustainability and nutrition — might not be much help.

This problem isn’t unique to salmon, the second most popular seafood eaten in the United States after shrimp. Many shoppers want to make better choices for themselves and for the environment, but product labels are often confusing or sparse.

“A lot of packaging doesn’t include the information needed,” said Ben Halpern, a professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

We examined more than a dozen packages of salmon sold at major grocery stores and spoke with experts about how to better understand common labels. Here’s what we learned.

Wild-caught or farmed?

Most salmon packaging will clearly state whether the fish was wild-caught or farmed. If a package doesn’t specify wild-caught or farm-raised, you can probably assume it’s farmed.

In the United States, wild salmon stocks are generally well managed and highly regulated, which means they are less likely to be overfished. An added bonus: Wild salmon is a nutrient-rich and lean source of protein.

But wild-caught fish can be more expensive than farmed options and is not always as easy to find.

Farm-raised fish is generally cheaper, though it is less environmentally friendly, according to several experts. Salmon farms have historically relied on the widespread use of antibiotics and pesticides. Captive fish can also escape their pens and change the genetic makeup of wild stocks.

However, some major salmon-producing countries have improved their farming practices over the years and many farms now use fewer chemicals.

Some farmed-raised salmon might not be as pink as their wild counterparts, which naturally get their color by eating wild shrimp. But farmed fish can also be dyed during processing, so keep an eye out for labels that say “COLOR ADDED.” In other cases, farms could use feed containing a type of carotenoid, or naturally occurring pigment, that gives their flesh a pinker color.

The filets of farmed fish tend to be fattier, but that can keep them more moist when cooked.

“Farmed salmon is really overall a strong option,” said Halpern.

Read the full article at the Washington Post

Blumenthal wants GMO salmon labeled

November 24, 2015 — HARTFORD — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined consumer advocates in the Capitol on Monday to criticize last week’s approval of genetically modified salmon and to advocate for mandatory labeling changes.

“The genetically engineered salmon is bigger, it can be grown faster,” Blumenthal said, stressing the Food and Drug Administration will require no special labeling for the engineered fish at grocery stores and fish markets, even though it will contain the genetic material of a bottom-feeder fish called the ocean pout to speed its growth.

“I believe strongly that the consumers have a right to know,” Blumenthal, D-Conn., said during a morning news conference.

The FDA recently said its scientists “rigorously evaluated extensive data” from fish grower AquaBounty Technologies, along with peer-reviewed data.

“The data demonstrated that the inserted genes remained stable over several generations of fish, that food from the GE salmon is safe to eat by humans and animals, that the genetic engineering is safe for the fish, and the salmon meets the sponsor’s claim about faster growth,” the agency said.

Read the full story at Connecticut Post

Aquaculture Exchange: Andrew Jackson, IFFO

November 12, 2015 — Despite great advances in aquafeed formulations aimed at lowering aquaculture’s dependence on wild-capture fishery resources, there is little doubt that fishmeal and fish oil still play a crucial role in the global seafood supply. The highly nutritious marine ingredients are chief components in the production of the world’s animal protein supply — some 20 percent of the global fishmeal supply goes to pig farmers, while high-quality fish oil remains in strong demand for direct human consumption as well.

The shape of the world’s reduction fisheries, therefore, has never been more important. Andrew Jackson, technical director at IFFO (The Marine Ingredients Organisation), recently spoke with the Advocate about the latest in reduction fisheries, the ever-increasing part that processing byproducts has to play and why fishmeal is so hard to replace, even for fish considered to be largely herbivorous.

Jackson announced earlier this year that he would step down from his post as technical director at the end of 2015, after nearly a decade of service. He will, however, take up the reins as chairman of the IFFO RS (Responsible Supply Certification Program) independent standards board. “It is my hope and intention to keep serving,” he said of his upcoming two-year appointment.

WRIGHT: What is the difference between “mining” a resource like a forage or reduction fishery and “cropping” it?

JACKSON: People often associate fishing with removing a resource as you would with mining. Like with coal, once it’s taken out of the ground, that’s it, unless you’ve got several million years to wait. You’re not going to get anything back; it’s a one-use resource. You can look at fisheries as, we’ve got this valuable thing, not in the ground but swimming around in the sea, and we can go out there, and we can take it out and we call sell it all and it’s worth this much. You can look at it like that.

But how much better to crop it, as you would a sustainably managed forest. You take it out at a rate at which it can be replenished by nature. That’s what the best management does. And that is when you become truly sustainable. In my book, sustainable means you can keep doing the same thing over and over again, year after year, and it’s always there. That’s what we should be looking to do, in any fishery, whether we’re taking it out for direct or indirect human consumption.

Read the full story at The Advocate

Scientists Say Feeding Fish Soy, Not Fish, More Sustainable

Editor’s Note: One key aquaculture issue not addressed by the article is the importance of marine ingredients in ensuring that farmed seafood diets contain enough omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients. Marine ingredients like fish meal and fish oil are currently the best way of transferring these nutrients to farmed fish and on to consumers. To learn more about aquaculture and marine ingredients, view this video.

November 22, 2015 — SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Research supported by the soybean industry is looking to convert some farm-raised fish into vegetarians.

A South Dakota State University fisheries scientist is developing a soy protein feed that’s tasty and easily digestible to eventually reduce the industry’s need for using wild-caught fish as food for farm-raised fish.

Much of the tilapia, Atlantic salmon and catfish that Americans toss into their shopping carts are raised in fish farms, where companies traditionally feed them pellets containing anchovy, menhaden and herring. The harvest of those small species has pretty much flat-lined, SDSU professor Mike Brown said, and humans’ increased demand for fish has driven up the cost of creating the pellet feed.

“We’ve fully exploited that resource,” he said, noting that the goal is to create a more sustainable – and cheaper – food source. Traditional fish feed is currently costing between $1,450 and $2,000 per ton, while soybean meal runs about $425 per ton, Brown said.

But some environmentalists worry that feeding fish species an uncommon food source could produce excess waste that muddies up inland tanks or offshore waters where fish are raised.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Celebrating 15 years of sustainable seafood: MSC’s Annual Report 2014-15

October 13, 2015 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has today released its annual report, marking 15 years since the launch of the transformational program rewarding and incentivising sustainable fishing.

The 2014-15 Annual Report, Celebrating 15 years of certified sustainable seafood, showcases industry leaders working to safeguard seafood supplies for the future. Fisheries which meet the MSC’s high standard of sustainability now catch close to nine million metric tonnes of seafood, representing almost 10% of the total global wild-caught seafood supply. This includes nearly half (45.9%) of the global whitefish catch. Seafood retailers and restaurants now sell over 17,000 products with the MSC ecolabel and more than 34,000 business locations are part of the MSC Chain of Custody, ensuring a traceable global supply chain.

“This growth and momentum, through the leadership of our partners, is driving lasting change in the way our oceans are fished, rewarding good practice and catalysing improvements where needed to meet the growing global demand for certified sustainable seafood” says MSC CEO, Rupert Howes.

This year, the MSC updated its Fisheries Standard to ensure it reflects the latest science and best management practices widely adopted by the world’s leading fisheries. A growing evidence base, captured in the MSC’s 2015 Global Impacts Report, also shows that MSC certified fisheries are maintaining healthy fish populations and effectively managing their impacts on habitats and ecosystems.

“The MSC is a learning organisation and we’ve invested heavily in strengthening the rigour of our program and building our evidence base on how our partners are delivering positive outcomes for our oceans” adds Mr Howes.

On the market side, the report acknowledges the bold global commitment by IKEA to only sell and serve certified sustainable seafood throughout its more than 370 stores, and the Iglo Group’s 100% sustainable fish commitment. This year also marked the MSC’s arrival in a new market with MSC certified products on sale in South Korea thanks to seafood processor Hansung and Lotte Mart, the country’s largest retailer.

“Market demand for sustainable seafood is helping to drive positive change in how our oceans are fished and managed. As more retailers and processors choose MSC certified seafood, other fisheries are encouraged into MSC assessment to meet the opportunities that higher demand for sustainable seafood can deliver” adds Mr Howes.

In 2014-15, 40 new fisheries achieved MSC certification and over 70 entered full assessment. These fisheries included artisanal fishing communities alongside large scale commercial fishing operations. The report highlights two pioneers, the first certified fisheries in India and China – the Ashtamudi clam and Zoneco scallop fisheries. Around 1,000 people depend on the Kerala-based clam fishery for their livelihoods, while the Chinese scallop fishery employs more than 20,000 fishers through a cooperative, and covers more than half a million hectares of the North Yellow Sea.

Two decades on from the collapse of the Grand Banks cod fishery in Newfoundland, the report highlights the commitments of fisheries in the Northern Hemisphere which are helping ensure the ongoing productivity of northern waters: 97% Canadian Atlantic lobster is now MSC certified; 87% of Alaska’s fisheries, by volume, are MSC certified; and the Iceland Sustainable Fisheries group is seeking MSC certification for all its commercial fisheries.

Consumers in close to 100 countries can now choose from more than 100 different certified seafood species, with an estimated US$4.5 billion spent globally by consumers on MSC labelled products in 2014-15.

View a PDF of the full annual report